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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "Yahoo Data" (may be fake)
Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2011 14:12:52 -0800
Subject: UPDATE WARNING

Unauthorized Access 


Dear Valued Customer,
In the last few days, our security Team observed multiple logons to your account, from Different Blacklisted I.P addresses, therefore we are Issuing this security warning. To prevent further unauthorized access for your safety, we have decided to put an extra verification process to ensure your account security.
 
To ensure that your account information remains accurate and secure, we will notify you whenever this information changes.
 

Please click on the link below to activate and secure your account. This System Maintenance is for your safety and protect your account against unknown users.We work hard to safeguard your account and personal information. That's why from time to time we may ask you to verify your identity online. This verification process will only take a few seconds.

Sincerely,

Yahoo Account Service
Because your reply will not be transmitted via secure e-mail, the e-mail address that generated this alert will not accept replies. If you would like to contact Us with questions or comments, Please visit the customer service section.
Yahoo
© 2011 Yahoo Corporation. All rights reserved

Anti-fraud resources: